1. Field
Some example embodiments of the present disclosure may relate generally to master devices for surgical robots which may generate stable motions of robotic surgical instruments by guiding hand motions of operators. Some example embodiments of the present disclosure may relate generally to control methods thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, minimally invasive surgery means surgery in which the size of an affected part is minimized. Differently from laparotomy performed through a large incision window at a part (the abdomen) of a human body, in minimally invasive surgery, at least one incision hole (or an invasive hole) having a size of 0.5 cm˜1.5 cm may be formed at the abdomen, a video camera and various instruments may be put into the abdomen through the incision hole, and then surgery may be performed while watching an image.
Differently from laparotomy, such minimally invasive surgery may cause little pain after surgery, may allow early recovery of intestinal mobility, may allow early feeding of food, may minimize hospitalization time and hasten return to a normal state, and/or may decrease incision ranges to increase beauty effects. Due to these advantages, minimally invasive surgery has been used in cholecystectomy, prostectomy, and hernia repair, and the fields of application of minimally invasive surgery has been increasing.
Surgical robots used in minimally invasive surgery may include master consoles and slave robots (also referred to a slave devices). The master consoles may generate control signals according to operations by operators (e.g., doctors) and/or may transmit the control signals to the slave robots. The slave robots may be operated according to the control signals received from the master consoles. Using the master console, an operator may operate the slave robot even though the slave robot may be located far from the master console. The operator may be in the same room, in a different room, or in a different facility (perhaps located in another country).
The slave robots may be provided with at least one robot arm, and a robotic surgical instrument may be mounted at the front end of each robot arm. The robotic surgical instruments may be inserted into the bodies of patient through incision points. On the other hand, the at least one robot arm may be located outside of the incision points and may serve to maintain the positions and/or poses of the robotic surgical instruments during surgery.
Surgical robots and associated systems provide numerous other advantages, such as potentially improved precision, better ability to monitor the patient, and ability to record the surgical procedure for training, qualification, and/or evidentiary purposes.
Although some example embodiments will be described with relation to surgical robot systems, those skilled in the art will appreciate that some example embodiments may be applied to other types of systems, such as teleoperation systems not used in the medical field (e.g., aerospace teleoperation systems, robots for handling hazardous materials, patrol robots, military robots), or more general purpose control systems.